Newark. The New Jersey Devils still rule the New York area.
They turned around and won the derby against Rangers at home at The Rock on Saturday night – thanks, among other things, to a sturdy sledgehammer signed by Jesper Pratt.
– says the sniper from Trångsund to Sportbladet after the 4-3 win: – Winning these games always means a little extra.
The Devils dominated the domestic hockey market in the first half of this year’s regular season, but before Saturday’s round in the “Battle of the Hudson,” the 14-point lead shrank from the New York Rangers a month ago. for one. So there was suddenly a danger that rivals from Manhattan would top the table for the first time since the series’ inception.
For a long time it looked as if this was about to happen. The Devils dominated in terms of play, but Igor Sejstyurkin made a save in the Rangers area, so eight minutes into the third period, the guests took the lead 3-1.
“We had a good feeling.”
– Yes, we played well and created many chances to score. So even though the ice of their goal was great and made it difficult for us, we continued to believe in ourselves, says Jesper Pratt when we met him after the final whistle.
– We had a good feeling and knew we would break the ice if we kept feeding.
Totally Correct. Over the last twelve minutes, the home team pulled back and tied it up – and in overtime, defender Damon Severson hit the decisive shot, making it 4-3.
– It’s a strength we’ve had all season, and we can come back to it. We know the team we have and we can turn on anyone. The only downside is that we went through a bit of a difficult period and therefore had to Know We have to come back all the time. It’s something we need to improve on, Jesper continues.
– Now we succeeded this time and it’s very nice. Winning these games always means a little more.
“I do not know what happened”
Mr. Pratt contributed a straight shot into the net behind Sejestiorkin on a power play while catching in the third.
– Hehe, I don’t really know what happened, but I tried to shoot a little more at the end and I felt like it was a good opportunity to audition there. Goalkeepers often don’t think there will be a shot in that situation, he smiles.
With a total of 40 points – 15 goals and 25 assists – Jesper is currently fifth in the Swedish league in scoring.
Mika Zibanejad, who sits above with 44 points, assisted in Saturday’s derby.